Sequencing the transcriptome of milk production: milk trumps mammary tissue.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Studies of normal human mammary gland development and function have mostly relied on cell culture, limited surgical specimens, and rodent models. Although RNA extracted from human milk has been used to assay the mammary transcriptome non-invasively, this assay has not been adequately validated in primates. Thus, the objectives of the current study were to assess the suitability of lactating rhesus macaques as a model for lactating humans and to determine whether RNA extracted from milk fractions is representative of RNA extracted from mammary tissue for the purpose of studying the transcriptome of milk-producing cells.

Results

We confirmed that macaque milk contains cytoplasmic crescents and that ample high-quality RNA can be obtained for sequencing. Using RNA seq

SUBMITTER: Lemay DG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3871720 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature